Colson Center - ChangePoint

What Only God Can Do

michael_zilles@pfm.org (Robert Lynn) — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:55:00 +0000

{byline}

This is Part 3 of a three-part series on how Christians can work for lasting change in our culture and society.

Simple obedience

On one occasion, as Desmond Tutu was being released from police custody during the apartheid regime in South Africa, he was asked by a reporter, “How long do you intend to go on defying the South African government?” Tutu’s reply was very instructive: “We are not defying anyone. We are simply trying to obey God!”

Commenting on that moment, Christopher Bryan says, “Those were the words of a prophet in the biblical tradition. He by no means denied or defied the South African government; yet such a church as he led, by the mere fact of its being and its constant witness, constituted a challenge to that government to do its job and in the end was instrumental in bringing about one of the most remarkable (largely nonviolent) revolutions of the modern era.” [i]

Our First Task

michael_zilles@pfm.org (Robert Lynn) — Mon, 13 May 2013 05:09:00 +0000

{byline}

This is Part 2 of a three-part series on how Christians can work for lasting change in our culture and society.

Their only option

Over a number of years, I have spent quite a bit of time in Turkey coming alongside the Turkish church. Quite frankly, our Turkish brothers and sisters are a tiny, despised, suspect minority (not even one tenth of one percent of the population). They could never dream of political action as a way of advancing a Christian vision of life.

So You Want to Make Change?

michael_zilles@pfm.org (Robert Lynn) — Mon, 06 May 2013 05:20:00 +0000

{byline}

This is Part 1 of a three-part series on how Christians can work for lasting change in our culture and society.

Silent?

I love mail…I love email. Well, most days.

Today is one of those “exception to the rule” days.

There it was – an email from a member, forwarding the musings of some blogger on his soapbox, pontificating about a hot button social issue. Today isn’t the first time, of course. I’ve come to expect that from time to time I’ll get the forwarded ruminations of some denizen of the Internet. It’s usually written by someone who doesn’t pastor any church telling folks how churches ought to be pastored in this or that moment of national/social/political crisis when local church pastors are apparently asleep at the switch.

The Meaning of Marriage (Part 1)

michael_zilles@pfm.org (Robin Phillips) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:02:00 +0000

{byline}

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

When I was doing my undergraduate work I spent a year studying the philosophy of art, reading the writings of some of our era’s most distinguish aesthetic theorists. One of the things my professors made me study was the corpus of literature surrounding the question “What is art?” You may find it surprising to learn that there are numerous books and entire journals devoted to this single issue.

A Journey Through Suffering

michael_zilles@pfm.org (Diane Singer) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 05:35:00 +0000

{byline}

"Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." 1 Peter 4:19

Asking why
Why do we suffer? This question is at the heart of "Carrion Comfort," one of the best known sonnets written by the British poet, and Catholic priest, Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889). Like many of Hopkins' poems, "Carrion Comfort" requires a fair amount of patience on the part of readers, who must unravel the poem's difficult rhythms, awkward syntax, and confusing images in order to discover the answer.

Time Talented?

kmoreland@wilberforce.org (T. M. Moore) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:30:34 +0000

{byline}

Christian views of time

I’ve been thinking a lot about time lately, which, if you stop to think about it, can be a difficult commodity to grasp.

What is time? It’s not like any material realities with which we have to do each day. Yet time is a creature; God made time, and He sustains it – whatever it is.

Christians have seen time differently from, well, time to time. Jonathan Edwards viewed time as one of God’s most precious gifts. He insisted that every believer has a duty to work hard to “improve” the time God allots him each day. This comports well with Paul’s exhortation to “make the best use” of the time we have each day, and with Moses’ prayer that God might teach us to “number our days” – to plan ahead – so that we can gain a heart of wisdom in how we use our time (Eph. 5:15-17; Ps. 90:12).

Christians: How Can We Know?

kmoreland@wilberforce.org (Greggrey Cudworth) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 05:13:38 +0000

{byline}

Puting First Things Frist

John Calvin (1509-1564)

“Who coming after me. Here he says two things; first, that Christ was behind him in the order of time; but, secondly, that he was far before him in rank and dignity, because the rather preferred him to all.”

“And I knew him not. That his testimony may not be suspected of having been given either from friendship or favor, he anticipates such a doubt, by affirming that he had no other knowledge of Christ than what he had obtained by divine inspiration. The meaning, therefore, amounts to this, that John does not speak at his own suggestion, nor for the favor of man, but by the inspiration of the Spirit and the command of God.”

The Woman Question (Part 2)

michael_zilles@pfm.org (Diane Singer) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:45:00 +0000

{byline}

[Part 1 examined what led me to ask questions about the traditional interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 which prohibits women from teaching or exercising authority over men. This week considers how the Lord led me to the answers I needed.]

“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” 1 Timothy 2:11-12

Re-thinking 1 Timothy 2:11-15
On the negative side, one place where I did not find acceptable answers was in feminist writings on the subject. Frankly, these writings exuded a tone which was angry, bitter, and dismissive. They trashed the Bible for being “patriarchal,” they excoriated Paul (whom I admire greatly) for being a misogynist, and – in many cases – they wrote about why they had left the church, and even the Christian faith, over what they viewed as Christianity’s unjust treatment of women.

The Woman Question (Part 1)

kmoreland@wilberforce.org (Diane Singer) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 05:59:23 +0000

{byline}

“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” 1 Timothy 2:11-12

Traveling beyond tradition
In his book Crossroads in Christian Growth, Dr. William Loyd Allen (a professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation at McAfee School of Theology) titles one chapter “Traveling beyond Traditions.” In this chapter, Dr. Allen talks about an important step in our growth from spiritual childhood to spiritual adulthood: those times when our traditional way of looking at an issue falls short and we begin to ask questions.

The Beauty of His Face

michael_zilles@pfm.org (T. M. Moore) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:26:00 +0000

{byline}

You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with Your goodness.
- Psalm 17.14, 15

The beauty of men
shall vanish in old age,
all former comeliness
is wiped away with grief.
The radiance of Christ’s face,
lovely before all things,
is more to be desired
than the frail flower of flesh.
- Columbanus, Poem on the World’s Impermanence, Irish, 7th century

Contemplating the face of Jesus

There is transforming power available by contemplating the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul knew this, and he wrote that he actually saw the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). The Apostle John knew it, too – frighteningly so (Rev. 1) – and it only made him long more earnestly to see Jesus face to face again (1 Jn. 3:2).